3 Types of Makeup Looks from K-Dramas You’ll Want to Try

Makeup looks from K-dramas are doubtlessly beautiful—from the natural beauty, chic and casual, and glamorous and stunning looks. Here are three types of makeup looks from K-dramas you’ll want to try!

The 3 Types of Makeup Looks from K-Dramas

In the realm of K-dramas, female leads always seem to have perfect appearances: well put-together outfits, accessories, and flawless makeup. Of course, there are a variety of makeup looks from K-dramas. Three of the main types include natural beauty, chic and casual, and the glamorous and stunning looks. 

Natural Beauty

Watch this video from Sia Ree above to achieve a basic “natural beauty” makeup look!

When it comes to the natural beauty look, this makeup look from K-dramas is more muted and less dramatic. In other words, this look is more known as the “no makeup” makeup look! This makeup look from K-dramas focuses on highlighting facial features without altering its natural appearance. Instead, it enhances one’s naturally beautiful facial features! This natural beauty look can be worn anywhere at any time, too. It’s the perfect go-to makeup look, whether you’re running errands, or a student on campus! 

My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021): Lee Dam

Makeup looks from K-dramas may seem over the top sometimes. However, the main lead of My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021), Lee Dam (Lee Hyeri), is a university student. It’s rare to find time for makeup when you’re rushing in the morning as a student! So, because she’s a student, her makeup look in this K-drama is quite minimal, yet it emphasizes her natural beauty.

This “natural beauty” makeup look certainly suits Lee Dam, since she displays a “my lips but better” lip tint. She also lightly fills in her eyebrows and wears minimally winged eyeliner, which accentuates her eyes. To achieve this look, you’ll want foundation or pressed powder for an evened out skin tone. A brow pencil from Olive Young will also give you that lightly filled-in eyebrow look that Lee Dam wears. For lips, a nice “my lips but better” lip tint from YesStyle is a great way to enhance your lips and its natural color. Finally, you can finish off your “natural beauty” look like Lee Dam with a tiny wing using a liquid eyeliner from Olive Young. 

Start-Up (2020): Seo Dalmi 

The “natural beauty” makeup look in this K-drama is also similar to Lee Dam’s in My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021). In the 2020 K-drama, Start-Up (2020), Bae Suzy stars as Seo Dalmi, where she’s determined to become a CEO of her own start up. She isn’t a student, but the pressure of having to achieve her dream of becoming a CEO means endless nights doing research! However, she exhibits the “natural beauty” makeup look with only a few products. 

One of Seo Dalmi’s favorites is the Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Intimatte lipstick in the shade “Not Flirting,” which you can find here. But any kind of red or pink lipstick or lip tint will do! You can achieve a similar makeup look using this lip tint from YesStyle. To keep things natural of course, she lightly fills in her eyebrows with a pencil—one you can find from Olive Young here. To finish off the look, add a tiny wing with a liquid pen eyeliner from Olive Young here.

Chic and Casual

Similarly to the “natural beauty” makeup look from K-dramas, the “chic and casual” look also highlights one’s naturally beautiful facial features. The difference is that this makeup adds a bit more than the “natural beauty,” through the use of different shades of colors. This could be through the use of different eyeshadows, or even lip colors. The “chic and casual” makeup look can be worn as everyday makeup, whether that’s for school, or a day in the office.  

True Beauty (2020-21): Im Jukyung

As we’ve seen so far, makeup looks from K-dramas can be very minimal, yet beautiful. In the 2020-21 K-drama, True Beauty, Im Jukyung learns the skill of makeup while learning how to refine her inner beauty. Although Im Jukyung is a high school student, she still wakes up extra early every morning to do her makeup. Since she is known as her high school’s goddess, achieving the “chic and casual” makeup look is the right way to go! 

To achieve Im Jukyung’s makeup look, you’ll need a few basic products. First, you’ll want a layer of foundation or a pressed powder for an evened out skin tone. Then, lightly fill in your eyebrows using a pencil, which you can find from Olive Young here. For a casual, yet charming look, Im Jukyung adds a bit of eyeshadow to her overall look.

The K-drama features eyeshadow palettes from Colorgram, which can be found here on Olive Young! These eyeshadow palettes include a variety of nude shades and a hint of sparkle, which is a great way to achieve the “chic and casual” makeup look from True Beauty. And of course, one of the best ways to top off the look is by adding some lip tint from Olive Young. Im Jukyung already uses eyeshadow, so she doesn’t include any eyeliner for a more casual, everyday makeup look. 

Watch the video below from HYOJIN to see how she transforms into Im Jukyung from True Beauty.

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018): Kim Miso

The “casual and chic” makeup look from K-dramas is definitely one of my favorites—especially Kim Miso’s gorgeous makeup look! In What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018), Park Min Young stars as the responsible and dependable secretary, Kim Miso. An office like her must always be presentable, especially as a secretary for the Vice Chairman of the company!

With her “chic and casual” makeup look, Kim Miso always looks stunning. From her tinted and glossy lips to her soft eyeshadow and eyeliner, she really knows how to achieve this makeup look! So, let’s see how you can achieve Kim Miso’s amazing “chic and casual” look, too. 

Start off with a layer of foundation or some pressed powder. Just like Kim Miso, fill in your eyebrows using a brow pencil, which you can find from YesStyle here. To emphasize your eyes more, you can also use a neutral colored palette like this one from YesStyle!

And for a tiny flare, include a tiny wing at the ends of your eyes for kind and welcoming eyes. You can find a liquid eyeliner for the same effect as Kim Miso here on Olive Young. Finally to complete the look, add on some glossy lip tint for a fuller-lip look, which you can also find here on YesStyle.

Watch the video below from KIMDAX to see how she achieves Kim Miso’s secretary makeup look!

Glamorous and Stunning

The “glamorous and stunning” makeup look is much different than the other two makeup looks we’ve discovered. Instead, this one is all about being dramatic, colorful, and sparkly, which is why it’s one of my favorite makeup looks from K-dramas. It not only emphasizes your natural facial features, but it can also make you appear more charming or even intimidating.

This look is not necessarily an everyday look (unless you want it to be!), since this makeup look is considered “glamorous and stunning.” So, it would best suit a more formal event, such as a dinner date, or a night out with some friends!

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020): Ko Moon Young

For dramatic characters, makeup looks from K-dramas are always quite inspiring. In It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Seo Yea Ji portrays the aloof children’s book author, Ko Moon Young. She’s known for her extravagant outfits; however, her makeup style is not as extravagant as her outfits are. Ko Moon Young tends to use shimmery eyeshadow and winged eyeliner with a matte lipstick to complete the look. Here’s how to achieve her impeccable makeup look from It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

As usual, a light layer of foundation or pressed powder is a great way to start off this look. Then, lightly fill in your eyebrows, using an eyebrow pencil like this one from Olive Young. And for the fun part, you can play around with some neutral shades of eyeshadow, which you can also find here from Olive Young. Like Ko Moon Young, using some of the darker browns on the outer edges of your eye will create more depth and dimension! She also uses a bit of the sparkly shadow on her bottom lashline, right next to the tearduct.

Ko Moon Young is known to be more on the edgy side, and her eyeliner definitely emphasizes that! Using a liquid eyeliner, create a more dramatic wing to accentuate your eyes. You can find a liquid pen eyeliner from Olive Young here. Adding on these eyelashes from YesStyle will finish off the dramatic eye makeup that will create that “glamorous and stunning” look!

But, we’re not done just yet! This makeup look isn’t complete without a nice, matte lipstick. Throughout the show, Ko Moon Young displays a variety of lipstick shades, so choose one of your liking. You can find an arrangement of these matte lipsticks here from YesStyle and Olive Young. 

For more inspiration, check out Risabae’s amazing tutorial for Ko Moon Young’s makeup below!

Hotel Del Luna (2019): Jang Man Wol

One of the reasons why I love this “glamorous and stunning” makeup look from K-dramas is because of its versatility! IU (aka Lee Ji Eun) stars as the moody hotel owner, Jang Man Wol in Hotel Del Luna (2019). Jang Man Wol tends to wear extravagant dresses and outfits, just like Ko Moon Young in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. Jang Man Wol’s “glamorous and stunning” makeup look usually includes neutral colored eyeshadows, tiny winged eyeliner to emphasize her round eyes, and a distinct lip color. Let’s see how you can recreate Jang Man Wol’s amazing makeup look. 

First, start off with a light layer of foundation or pressed powder, which is used to even out your skin tone. Begin filling in your eyebrows with a brow pencil, such as this one from Olive Young. A neutral eyeshadow palette like this one from Olive Young is a great way to incorporate some depth and dimension into your look.

Add in some of the darker brown to the outer edges of your eyelid and on the bottom edges of your lashline. This will help create a more smoky look that will create some edginess! Then, add a wing using eyeliner, which you can find from Olive Young. For lip colors, Jang Man Wol sticks to glossy red and pink lip tints. So, to top it all off, choose a glossy lip color of your choice, which you can also find here from YesStyle and Olive Young.  

Check out KIMDAX’s makeup tutorial on Jang Man Wol’s “glamorous and stunning” makeup look!

The 3 Types of Makeup Looks from K-Dramas

So, which of the three types of makeup looks from K-dramas were you favorite? Was it the minimal “natural beauty” look? Or possibly the sparkly and colorful “glamorous and stunning” makeup look? Of course, watching K-dramas are always fun, as you follow along with the twists and turns of the story. However, it’s also fun to see all of the makeup looks from K-dramas and experimenting with different styles that will suit you! If you enjoyed reading about 3 types of makeup looks from K-dramas, check out our other content on K-dramas here!

To learn more about Korean beauty trends, watch the video below!